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green, having ;i yellow lateral margin. It inhabits stagnant wa-ters. At Ceylon, travellers who walk bare-legged are molestedby the great numbers of leeches concealed under the grass.

IilRUN'DO, in ornithology, a genus of birds o; the order,pibseres. See Plate LVUI. "Bill short, depressed at the base,small at the point, and a little bending; nostrils open; tongueshort, broad, and cleft; wings long ; legs short; tail, in general,forked. There are thirty-seven species. The birds of this genus,subsist chiefly on the insects which are known to abound in theair, where they are almost constantly on the wing, and seize theirprev with admirable dexterity ; and for this purpose they are fur-nished with a most extraordinary power of distending their jaws.The service they perform to man by their assiduity in this workof destruction is not lightly to be appreciated, and those who ob-serve the crowded population of the atmosphere through the beamsof a summer-evening, will easily be led to believe, that, but fortile interception of incalculable myriads of insects by these birds,the annoyance of mail by these minute animals would be highlydistressing, and perhaps almost intolerable. Each species ot lii-riindo drinks as it tlies along, sipping the surface ot the watei ;but the swallow alone, in general, washes on the wing, by drop-ping into a pool for many times together: in very hot weatherhouse-martins and bank-martins dip and wash a little. The swal-low is a delicate songster, and in soft sunny weather sings bothperching and flying; on trees in a kind of concert, and on chim-ney-tops. Horsemen on wide downs are often closely attendedby a httle party of swallows for miles together, which plays beforeand behind them, sweeping around, and collecting all the sculkinginsects that are roused by the trampling of the homes’ feel: whenthe wind blows hard, without this expedient, they are forced tosettle to pick up their lurking prey. Thus the swallow is veryuseful to mankind in defending liim from the personal and domes-tic annoyance of flies and gnats ; and, what is of inlinitely moreconsequence, they keep down the numbers of our minute ene-mies, who either in the grub or winged state, would otherwise ren-der the labours of the husbandman fruitless. Since then swallowsarc guardians of our corn, they should every w here be protectedby the same popular veneration which in Egypt defend the ibis,and the stork in Holland . We more frequently' hear of unpro-ductive harvests on the Continent than in this country ; and it iswell known that swallows are caught and sold as food in the mar-kets of Spain, Fiance, and Italy . In England we are not drivento such resources to furnish our tables. But what apology can hemade for those, and many there are, whose education and rankshould have taught them more innocent amusements, who wan-tonly murder swallows, under the idle pretence of improving theirskill'in shooting game ? Setting aside the cruelty of starving wholepests of young by killing the dam ; those who follow this barbar-ous diversion would do well to reflect, that by' every swallow theykill, they assist blasts, mildews, and vermin, in causing a scarcity* of bread. Every lord of a manor should restrain his game-keeperfrom this execrable practice ; nor should he permit any person to'sport on his lands who does not refrain from it. These birds dis-appear during the winter-season to account for which various opi-nions have been entertained. Some suppose that they lie torpid,in the banks of rivers, or in decayed trees, or in ruined edificesor jvaults ; and others, that they retire for the winter from theair to the water, lying in immense clusters, like swarms of bees,at the bottoms of rivers. Particular facts are on record, by re-spectable testimony, in favour of both these hypotheses. It isalso attested, on similar authority, that migrations of these birdsactually take place. They have frequently been seen by mari-ners at a va-t distance from land, and in very numerous flocks, andhave occasionally converted the rigging and yards of vessels intoresting places, which have most conveniently relieved their longand wearisome flight.. This last opinion is most generally re-ceived, and appeal's the most reasonable.

H. Esculenta, the Edible Swallow, according to Buffon, isless than the w ren, and only two inches and a quarter in length.The bill is black ; the upper parts of the Ifody are brown, theunder whitish ; the tail is forked, and each feather of it tipped withwhite ; the legs are brown. The most curious part of tire naturalhistory of this bird consists in the nest, which is composed of suchmaterials as render it not only edible, but one of the greatest dain-ties of the Asiatic epicures. These nests are found in vast num-

bers, in certain caverns, in various isles in the Soolo Archipelago,situated between ion. 11 1 ° and 120° E. and lat. 5° and 7°. N. in thecaverhs of which the nests are found lixed to the stones in astonishingnumbers. They are also found in amazing quantities on a smallisland railed Tor, in the straits of Sumia ; die taverns of which arelined with the nests : but no where in greater abundance thanabout Croce, near the S. end. They are common from Java toCochinchina on the N. and from the point of Sumatra W. to NewGuinea on the E. where the sea is said to he covered with a vis-cous substance like half-melted glue, which the bird is supposedeither to take up from the surface with its bill during flight, or topick it from the rocks when left there by' the waves. Of the.-enests, it is said, the Dutch alone export from Batavia 1000 pickles,upwards of 13001b. English weight, every year, which are broughtfrom the ides of Cochinchina, and those lying to the E. of them.

Id. Bustica, the C om mon or Chimney' Swallow, is distin-guished from all the other species by the superior forkiness of itstail, and by the red spot on the forehead under the chin. Thecrow'n of the iiead, the whole upper part of the body, and thecoverts of the wings, are black, glossed with a rich purplish blue,and most resplendent in tilt; male : the breast and belly white, andin the male tioge^ with red: the tail is black; the two middle-feathers are plain, the others marked transversely near the endswith a white spot: the exterior feathers of the tail are much longerin the male Ilian inthefemale. This species is the first comer of~allthe British liivundines: and appears in general on or about the13th of April, though now and then a straggler is seen much ear-lier. This species, though called the chimney-swallow, by nomeans builds altogether in chimrfeys, but often in barns and out-houses against the rafters; as Virgil long ago remarked. (Georg,lib. iv. 300.) In Sweden she builds in barns, and is called laduswala, tlie barn-swallow'. In the warmer parts of Europe , wherethere are no chimneys to houses except they are English built,she constructs her nest in porches, gate-ways, galleries, and openhails. But in general, with us, this species breeds in chimneys ;and haunts those slacks where there is a constant lire, for the sakeot warmth ; generally preferring one adjoining to the kitchen, anddisregarding the perpetual smoke of that funnel. Five or six ormore feet down the chimney, does this little bird begin to formher nest about the middle of May, which consists, like that of thehouse-martin, of a enrst or shell composed of dirt or mud, mixedwitlr short pieces of straw to render it tough and permanent; withtills difference, that, whereas the she!) of tiie martin is nearly he-mispheric, that of tire swallow is open at the top, and like lialf adeep dish. 'This nest is lined with line grasses, which are oftencollected as they float in the air. Wonderful is the address (Mr.White observes) which this adroit bird shews all dav long in as-cending and descending through so narrow a pass. When hover-ing over the mouth of tfte tunnel, the vibration of her wings act-ing on the confined air occasions a rumbling noise like thunder.It is probable that the dam submits to this inconvenient situation,■so low in the shaft, in order to secure her brood from rapaciousbirds, and particularly from owls, which frequently fall downchimneys, perhaps in attempting to get at these nestlings. Thisbird lays from four to six white eggs, dotted w ith red specks ; andbrings out her first brood about the last week in June, or the firstin July. The progressive method by which the young are in-troduced into life is very curious: first, they emerge from tiieshaft with difficulty enough, and often fall down into the room be-low : for a day or so they are fed on the chimney-top, and arethen conducted to the dead leafless bough of some tree, where,sitting in a row, they are attended with great assiduity, and maythen be called pereners. In a day or two more they becomeflyers, but are still unable to take their own food : therefore theyplay about near the place where the dams are hawking for flies;and, w lien a mouthful is collected, at a certain signal given, thedam and the nestling advance, rising towards eacli other, and meet-ing at an angle ; the young cue all the while uttering such a littlequick note of gratitude and complacency, that one must havepaid very little regard to tire wonders of Nature, who lias not re-marked tliis feat. The dam betakes herself immediately to therearing of a second brood, as soon as she is disengaged from herfirst; which she at once associates with the first broods of house-martins ; and with them congregates, clustering on sunny roofs,towers, and trees. She brings out her second brood towards the

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